A Precious Memory
by falala
Summary: Nalu fic... Lucy and Natsu are married now but then Lucy loses her memory of Natsu. What will happen to their relationship? Will they be able to work it out or will it fail?
1. Chapter 1

**A Precious Memory**

**Chapter 1: Treasure seeker**

* * *

Fairy Tail was always a noisy and boisterous guild. No other guild could match it in all Fiore. People all over knew of Fairy Tail. After its notorious climb back on top, it was only right that people would once again pay homage for their return as the number one guild. Although there were rough times in getting there, Fairy Tail always managed to defeat the odds and proved their place in this world—thus restoring it back to its former glory.

But for Lucy, Fairy Tail was something so much more to her. Granted, Lucy initially wanted to join Fairy Tail because of its indisputable reputation—she had learned that Fairy Tail wasn't just about its brand or name but its guild members. Here, she had found friends, family, and most importantly her soul mate—who'd one day become her husband. She was forever indebted to this lively guild for giving her the happiness she had longed for her whole life.

However, in this exact moment, Lucy was close to losing her mind. Naked men, manly taunts, useless bar fights, unrequited love rants, injuries caused by said fights—she was cursing herself for ever wanting to join such a rowdy and reckless guild. Her sigh escaped her as she looked up at Mirajane for comfort.

"What's up Lucy? Feeling down?" Mirajane passed her a drink.

Lucy gladly gulped it down with no question about what she had given her.

"That drink, my dear, wasn't meant to be chugged." Mira eyed suspiciously as she took the empty glass back.

"I feel… irritable today and I don't know why. Maybe I need to go on a mission but Natsu keeps fooling around as usual." She sighed heavily. "I married a fool." She dropped her head on the bar counter.

"Aww. Trouble in paradise? It's a little too early for regrets." Mira teased.

"Ha-ha Mira. You are so funny." Lucy mumbled under her arms. She lifted her face so that Mira could hear her properly. "We're older now, you'd expect him to mature but here he is; same old same old as if he was 19 years old again."

"Is this stemming from him not satisfying you in bed? Still a boy in bed?" Mira teased more.

This only caused Lucy to turn bright pink at the direction of this current conversation. "No-no-no… he's amazing in bed—like a beast even." She slapped her mouth shut at her confession.

"Hahahaha… so what's the problem Lucy?"

"I guess he still acts immature… I don't know… maybe it's my hormones since it's the time of the month." Her eyes were avoiding Mira's stare.

"You know I heard something that a customer told me a while ago. He said and I quote, 'Women marry men hoping they would change, while men marry women hoping they would stay the same.'" Mira shrugged.

"Ahh…" Lucy contemplated on this for a while so Mira left her alone.

Maybe it was time for Lucy to try to understand him better rather than try to idealize how she wants her husband to become. But right now she started to feel the effects of that drink Mira gave her earlier. Her eyes went wide as the room started to spin. She could barely hold on to the counter and she knew she was down for the count. But she had never felt the wooden floor beneath her, instead she felt like she was hovering above ground like she was floating. She tossed her arms to the side as if she was swimming or flying—her mind couldn't tell the difference anyway. For some reason she had instantaneous bursts of laughs every couple of minutes and her body did it involuntarily. Whatever this drink was, it was sure damn strong. This drink got Lucy high on a whole different level.

Meanwhile—outside of Lucy's hallucinogenic state, Natsu was holding his wife as she flung her arms wildly around like a fish out of water. _Was she dying?_ Natsu hit panic mode. His eyes glared at Mira and even let out a deep growl.

"Mira what did you give her?" He gritted his teeth.

"Oh Natsu you're over-reacting. She chugged an alcoholic drink instead of sipping it slowly. She'll be fine by tomorrow. Just take her home to rest." She smiled back unaffected by his dark aura.

* * *

By the time Lucy gained consciousness, she was at home in bed. An arm wrapped around her abdomen and her back was pressed against a warm bare chest. Her eyes flickered at the soft snores her husband was making and then she slowly turned around to face him. As soon as she laid her eyes on his face, her hand involuntarily brushed his cheek as if everything was in sync. A small curl on his lips replaced his snores. She pushed herself up a little so that she can kiss him on the forehead but an acute sharp pain stung her head—dropping her body immediately back to bed. He woke up instantly.

"Ugghh… what happened last night…" She mumbled.

"Hmm? You really don't remember huh." His brows furrowed. He got up and got her a drink. "Here drink this, Mira told me to give it to you once you wake up." He pulled her up slowly so that she'd be able to sit up and drink properly.

She silently obeyed, there was no point of protesting in her horrible-sorry state anyway. But maybe she shouldn't be trusting in Mira's drinks since the first one put her in this predicament. Too late, she had already swallowed the liquid in the cup that Natsu held. She couldn't even tell if the bad odor was coming from the drink itself or from her own mouth.

After the drink settled in her stomach, she felt a hundred times better. But once she looked at her partner, he was quite the opposite. It had looked like he had fought ten Stings and burned down a village.

"What happened to you?" She reached out to trace the most recent scars on his arm.

"You happened." He deadpanned.

Her eyes opened wide. Did she turn into Lucy Ashley or something worse? How did she even manage to put him in that condition?

"First… I'm sorry and how did I do that to you though?" She looked at her small fists as if they were gold. Although it was a horrible feeling to feel, but she couldn't help feeling accomplished—_to bruise a dragon slayer and survive_—ego boost times ten.

"_You_ didn't physically injure me. It was the **wall** you decided to run right into. It was also the **bridge** you decided to jump off of. Lastly, it was the **roof** you tried to roll on." Each time he mentioned a different place he pointed to a different part of his body where said injury took place.

"Oh I'm so sorry Natsu… I can't believe you protected me through it all." She hugged him tightly.

"Yeah I'll always protect you. I'm your cushion for the wall, bridge, and roof." He grinned at her.

She kissed him lightly but he held onto her. Then she slowly moved on top of him without breaking a kiss. Her legs saddling him, he deepened the kiss but he couldn't hide the hiss that he let out once his back hit the backboard.

"Oh you're still in pain. You need to rest Natsu." She patted his chest.

"I'll ask Wendy to heal me. No problem." He placed her back into the same position prior to his unmanly cry.

"No Natsu. I'm still on my period anyway. Let's get to the guild and look for Wendy. Plus I need a job and don't make up any more excuses. It's almost been a week since we took a job." She hopped off his lap and headed to the washroom.

Natsu couldn't take his eyes off of his wife as she hypnotized him with her hips. He sighed inwardly knowing that she wouldn't let him do anything until her _week_ was over. But what the hell—he charged straight into the washroom despite her _eep_-ing protests.

* * *

Finally Team Natsu had gathered and picked a job. Erza and Gray came back from their other mission just in time for Natsu to bombard them with another quest. Happy obviously tagged along since he was Natsu's sidekick. The request was a straight forward one: _capture and retrieve_. They were to locate a thief who steals people's most treasured and beloved things, then submit him to authorities where he will face charges for his crimes. Of course Erza was eager to do this mission—she was the straight shooter in the group. Gray had agreed since the reward was big.

Once they reached the client's home, who happened to be the latest victim of the Treasure Seeker—people started calling him that after all his infamous schemes, Erza and Lucy were the ones to talk to the client since Natsu and Gray were too informal.

"We are from Fairy Tail. I'm Erza and this is Lucy." She signaled to Lucy.

Lucy bowed slightly. "So can you tell us more about this thief?"

"Uh yeah… he uses something that paralyzes you then he stares into your eyes to figure out what is the most important thing in your life." He shivered at the thought.

Both Natsu and Gray were kind of creeped out about how this thief does his business. But it didn't affect Erza.

"Do you mind telling us what he had stolen from you?" She prompted.

"He stole my family's heirloom. It was a vase that was passed down from generation to generation. Inside it there are letters of each generation of my family. You see it's just our tradition to write a simple letter detailing each member of the family. It's sort of like our family tree in a vase. I don't see how this would be of any value to anyone else but us." He sighed. "The vase is replaceable but our letters are not…" He shuffled uncomfortably in his seat. His wife, who sat next to him, placed her hand on his as her sign of support and strength. Lucy noticed and smiled sweetly. She wanted to be like that with Natsu when she gets older.

"But um, did he use any magic against you?" Lucy asked.

"I don't know what it was but I was paralyzed and I didn't see any magic. He just stood in front of me and my body was frozen. His eyes were blank but his smirk was unforgettable. Somewhat twisted and dark about the way his lips moved. His voice also was very odd and very unique. If I were to hear it again—without a doubt I'd know it'd be him."

"Anything else you want to add in?" Erza was taking in all the information that the client was saying.

"Don't look into his eyes… it's like he stares into your very soul. It's creepy. He's also obsessed with collecting stuff—he didn't say it out loud but the way he wanted what you wanted—it was like he loved the feeling of taking it away and leaving you with nothing." He shrugged.

"Ayyyee… that's really creepy." Happy cuddled against Lucy's chest.

"How many other victims are in this village?"

"Three other families. But we heard of rumors a month ago about a notorious thief two towns over. However we didn't expect the thief to come to this village. As you can see, we aren't relatively a rich place to be in so we thought of nothing from those rumors."

"Hmm then why so many more victims in this village than the other town.." Lucy thought to herself.

"Okay thank you for your time. We'll do a thorough investigation. If you can, list the other families who have been robbed. We also would like to know what had happened to them." Erza asked.

The older man wrote down the other names of the families and their addresses. They quickly thanked him and headed out towards the inn they were staying in.

"So what should we do now?" Natsu asked as he put his hands behind his head.

Erza opened the door to their room and signaled for them to go inside. She closed the door quickly.

"We are to question the other families about what had transpired between them and the thief. Also take note of what was stolen." She paused to think. "But most importantly, take into account that this thief is very stealthy and he can creep up on you guys at any second. Although, I do have a feeling that this certain type of criminal stalks its victims before he steals their valuables. Most all thieves have that mentality. They figure out the victim's routine, also acknowledging what the victim spends most of his/her time doing. Granted, they choose the most opportune moment to strike. I doubt none of these incidents were at random."

"Okay so we better get to these families fast if we are to figure out a pattern." Gray added.

Natsu and Lucy nodded.

"Gray, go to this family," Erza handed him the paper with the victim's name and address on it. "Natsu, you go to this family." She also gave another to Natsu. "And this one is for you and Happy." She gave the last paper to Lucy.

"I'll go check the places that those people were attacked. Or places that look like a good place to attack. Be back here before night time since the thief only attacks at night. It's best if we moved as a group during the night."

All members agreed and each headed out to their respective location.

* * *

After Lucy interviewed her family, it was very similar to the older man's story. The elder lady felt as if she was paralyzed and he stared into her eyes to find out what she had treasured the most. The item that the thief had stolen was her handkerchief. It was something she had sewed for her husband who had passed away years ago. It was absolutely at zero valuable to anyone else. Just like that man's family vase. Why steal something that cannot be sold on the black market? Why steal it in the first place?

Lucy kept trying to make sense of it all but this thief doesn't steal for the money. Happy walked beside her trying to figure out what she was thinking about.

"Luccyyy, are you okay? You're doing weird faces."

"Eh? Sorry Happy I'm trying to figure out this guy." She sighed, the mission was simple capture the criminal and bring him back to the authorities. But finding out his patterns to find him was difficult. What if the thief skipped town already?

"Lucy it's getting dark we should get back to the inn." Happy nudged her.

"Oh yeah where was it again?" Was she lost?

She looked up at the sky, the sun was setting and so she started to think of which way to go. As soon as she turned a corner she heard a woman's scream. Automatically, Lucy ran straight to it. She didn't think twice about it. She stopped at an abandoned house near the edge of the village. Small whimpers escaped the house. Both Lucy and Happy quietly crept to one of the windows to see what was inside.

"Happy can you see anything?" She whispered.

"Yeah… come over to this window." He said in a hushed tone.

Lucy crawled to where Happy pointed to and she saw a figure dressed in almost a ninja type uniform and a woman on her knees staring into her assailant's eyes. The woman's body was frigid as if she was stuck. She can see the sweat drop down from her face.

"I'm kinda shocked that you were able to scream under my paralysis. But I guess I'm stronger. Now let's take a look at what you treasure most." He pressed his thumb on her forehead and the rest of his fingers lay at the fringe of her hair while his other hand was pressed against her sternum.

"Oh? You're daughter huh. I haven't collected a child yet. It'll do." The mother's eyes went wide as she tried her best to fight it but as soon as he left her, her body went limp and she dropped.

Lucy frantically looked to see where the daughter was and the thief was approaching a worn out sofa. She heard muffled sniffles and she just knew what she had to do. "Happy take the daughter first and if you can manage the mother too, take them both. I'll distract him we have to hurry." Happy nodded as he zoomed into the room picking up the girl. He caught the thief by surprise.

"Huh what the hell." He yelled. "Give me back that girl!"

He was about to chase after her until Lucy kicked him square in the chest and he flew back next to the unconscious mother.

"Who are you?" He asked as he unmasked his face.

Lucy stared at his twisted smile and his dark eyes. He looked crazy, almost like a crazy hoarder.

"Open the gate to the Lion, I summon Loki!" She yelled. A bright light flashed and Loki appeared next to her.

"Knock him out." She ordered.

"Yes my love." Loki launched himself at the man but he was fast. He dodged his attack and countered him with a jab to his gut. Loki dropped to the ground for a second. But that second was too precious to waste because once he got up; he had seen the mad man choking his master.

"Lucccyyy! He yelled.

"Nah-ah-ah." He said through his teeth. "I'll snap her neck if you move." He warned.

Lucy stood still, she didn't know if she was frozen by fear or by his strange magic. She tried to call out one of her other spirits but it didn't work.

"Let's put back your cat shall we."

"Noooo!" Loki screamed before his gate was forced closed.

"Hmmm you're a smart woman." He let go of Lucy and she dropped to her knees. Then her body involuntarily faced him with her knees stuck to the floor.

"How are you doing this?" She was trying to move but she couldn't.

"I know how to manipulate _things_." He smiled his detestable smile.

"Why are you still in this town?" She wanted to buy some time by feeding his ego. All villains love to talk about themselves. It was just in their nature to sing a monologue. She only needed a couple of minutes before Natsu rescues her anyway; he always does one way or another.

"This place has so much to offer." He snickered. "You mistake me for a regular thief." His voice was unique, it was sinister and almost snake like. As if all his words were poisoned with greed and jealousy. "The people here are different. Their treasures aren't in silver or gold. Their valuables aren't measured by money. It's what drew me to them." His eyes never strayed away from her face. He licked his lips as he pulled his face closer to hers. "I want whatever they cherish…" He whispered. Then he pulled away to continue his monologue.

"Did you know, I'm originally a collector by nature? I have this repulsive need to have everything… it is quite sickening to know how extreme I would go just to claim it. I can't escape it." He looked like he was mentally tortured. "These people put so much value in things I have never had. I want to take it so I can feel the same."

"No… you take it away so that you can feel better about yourself. You're happy to see them in despair. You feed off of their pain you immoral bastard!" She yelled. "You were about to take a child away from her mother? What kind of person would break a family apart just to satisfy your need of _collecting_?" Her blood was boiling. She felt as if his hold on her was weakening.

"Open the door to the goat. I summon Caprico." She yelled.

"Lucy-sama!" He was by her side.

"Tsk." The thief kissed his lips. "I should have kept your mouth shut."

"You will not disrespect Lucy-sama. I'll put you back in place." He launched his attack.

Lucy started to feel his grip loosen and she was free from his spell. Unfortunately it took a lot of magic to summon Capricorn through the type of hold Lucy was in. She only hoped that Natsu would pop in as usual.

Almost like clockwork, Natsu flew in yelling Happy Max speed. He soared through the already damaged room and charged straight into the enemy. Happy flew straight to Lucy and he was about to fly her out until she stopped him.

"What Lucy, we need to get you to safety. Erza and Gray are on their way here." Happy stressed.

"No take the woman out of here. I can't leave Natsu." She gave the exceed a reassuring smile. Happy couldn't change her mind especially if it had something to do with Natsu. He agreed hesitantly as he picked up the woman and led her to where her daughter was.

Lucy had run out of magic so Capricorn unwillingly went back to the Spirit world. It was just Natsu against that guy. Suddenly she saw Natsu drop to the floor. Her instinct was to run to him but then once she was a foot away her body froze again.

"You are a sly, sly, sly woman!" He entertained himself. "You were brilliant—surprising me at all times. But enough games woman. Let me look into your soul."

Without hesitation he took the same position he did on that other woman. His eyes pierced through hers and took a look into her mind.

"Interesting… hmm well you see he treasures you the most." He grimaced. "You treasure him the most. Boring. But he can't live without you but for you… you'll be able to live without him." He was talking to her but he knew she couldn't respond back.

Lucy started to panic; she didn't want him to take away Natsu. He is the most important person in her life. She will not let him take him away from her.

"…Because being with him was enough. So…" He thought of what he can do. "Since the most important thing to you is your husband. I'll take him away—not physically take him away. But I want your memory of him." His evil laugh rumbled from his chest. "I'd never done that before…" He snickered.

Her mind was screaming. What did he mean he was going to take away her memory of him? What will happen if she can't even remember her own husband? No, no, no… she kept repeating those words. Not Natsu—she can't forget all he's done for her. She can't forget their travels together. She can't forget the love between them. She can't forget… _**him**_.

All of sudden she was back staring at this crazy man's face. His eyes grew darker and his contorted smile plastered on his face. Then instantly her mind went blank.

* * *

**A/N: So I had this idea for a story for a while. But I wanted to wait until I was done finishing my other stories. Unfortunately it has been gnawing at my brain so I wrote the first chapter. Just a little warning though, I won't be able to update this story until I finished the other ones, SORRY! I don't mean to be a tease but I'll get back to this when I'm done True Love's Kiss and Crossroads (hopefully).**

**Anyway hope you enjoyed the first chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it lol (: Feel free to follow/subscribe/review. Thanks!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Pennies for thoughts**

A broken record kept replaying her nightmare over and over again; her mind couldn't give her the emergency escape route she desperately sought. Lucy had to been forced to watch that man's lips and hear his words over and over again. One day, she thought, she had to wake up—there had to be a way for her to escape from this mind game. The next wave of nightmares had come; she ignored the scary man's taunts, his evil laugh, and his unforgettable face. More importantly, she had stayed silent, if she could tune out her hellish dream, then she would be able to see the light. Her heart kept up faith that there was someone out there who was willing to do anything to get her back. She had to rely on blind faith in order to reach that _voice_, a voice she did not recognize but knew it had to be her way out. She waited and continued to wait…

"Lucy!"

Her eyes snapped open. She found herself in the infirmary at the guild. A pair of onyx eyes was staring at her in shock. His mouth fell and stayed open. What was odd about this person was his hair. How in the world did anyone have naturally pink hair because no guy she imagined; would willingly dye their hair pink. Finally the strange pink haired man spoke.

"Lucy?" He asked again but he sounded like he was trying to reassure himself that she was Lucy.

She recognized that voice. His voice was the voice that woke her up from her nightmare. It was him.

A small smile formed her lips and she was about to thank the stranger until Happy flew straight into her chest.

"Eh?" She forgot how Happy shows his affection. She smiled gently and petted his head. "What happened?"

"You were out for days, weeks… almost a month…" A worried face took over his usual Happy demeanor. "What did that guy steal from you? Erza and Gray had found you and Natsu unconscious. They took that guy out but they feared he had already stolen what you guys value the most." Happy said.

Lucy eyes just stared at him as her sign to urge him to continue talking. She didn't understand what he was talking about, she could barely remember what he was saying but it seemed like something along the lines of her nightmare that had been instilled into her brain.

"Natsu said that the guy said he was going to steal you away from him. But it's impossible if he's in jail right now so he didn't steal you. But what has that guy stole from you?" Happy chirped.

Natsu who remained silent through the whole conversation, was deep in thought. He was never much of a deep thinker, he left that to Lucy. But right now, he just kept his eyes on the floor, with his chin resting on his palm. His foot also kept tapping impatiently. Even his body didn't have the patience for his thoughts.

"Happy can you give us a moment alone? You can tell the others she woke up." He patted his furry friend and let him out of the room.

After Happy left, Lucy and Natsu were left alone. Lucy couldn't help but feel awkward. To her, he was a stranger and by the looks of it, to him; she was something much more significant. She saw the way he stared at her, cautious but still caring. But she knew the one overpowering emotion that couldn't be mistaken or hidden, it was fear. His face spelled fear. Eyes, ears, forehead, were all showing that he was scared of something.

"Lucy…" He said slowly. "Do you know who I am?" His face hardened. She saw pain in his eyes because he already knew the answer but he wanted to hear it from her.

"No…" She whispered quietly as if she was the only one to hear it.

For some reason, her whole being wanted to wrap itself around him—to comfort him in this time of suffering. But she couldn't, he was a stranger and she had caused him this much pain in the first place.

Her eyes watched his body shake and it was probably from holding everything in. Maybe he wanted to shout, cry, scream, and mourn even. Maybe it was anger and frustration built up from all the anxiety of her being asleep for so long—and for what, for her not to remember him at all?

A horrible feeling grew from the pit of her stomach. This man's voice had saved her from her nightmares; couldn't she just lie and tell him she remembers him? If it wasn't for him, she'd still be in limbo land. But then again, how long could she lie before he found out the truth.

At that moment, Erza and Gray had walked in with Happy flying by their heads. They both smiled warmly at first but once they took a look at Natsu and Lucy, something in the air had thickened. Natsu moved first.

"I … I need some air…" His eyes remained hidden under his bangs. Both of them backed off, giving him some time to breathe, maybe since the worst of what he had imagined, had just happened.

Erza spoke. "Lucy you remember me?" She pointed at her red hair as if that was her only memorable quality. It reality, it was her armor that was much more significant.

Lucy nodded with no hesitation. Obviously she knew who Erza was, how could she ever forget that?

Erza let out a big sigh. "Well that's good. So that means…"

"You only forgot Natsu." Gray finished her sentence.

* * *

Natsu ran off to find a place where he could just let out all his feelings. He didn't even realize the moisture on his cheek. Silent tears trailed down as he continued to roar. It was a dragon roar, a calling for a loved one—his calling to _his_ Lucy. How could he call out to her when she wasn't within his reach any more? Somehow Happy managed to follow him all the way into the forest. Natsu's guard was down as he was at his most vulnerable. Only Happy could see him in his sorry-state.

Happy said nothing but showed everything. He flew over to his father-figure-best-friend and sat next to him. He had to wait until Natsu would be ready to talk.

After the long hours of silence, Natsu sighed.

"What's going to happen to us?" He asked himself, not quite looking for an answer.

"You have to try Natsu. Win her back." He comforted his friend.

"But it's hard because she doesn't remember anything that we've done together. She doesn't remember me. She doesn't love me." He forced himself to not cry.

"But Natsu, you were the most precious thing to her. Above all else, she treasured you most, that's why that thief stole her memory of you. She still loves you deep down. Don't lose hope." Happy can be mature at times when he's needed most.

Natsu looked at Happy with a small grin. Maybe it was time to win her back than feel sorry for himself.

"Thanks Happy. Let's go get Lucy back." He grinned.

* * *

Lucy, Gray, Erza, and Levy were still in Lucy's room. Apparently she needed to stay one more night before returning home. But they helped fill the void after Natsu left. Even though Lucy felt a little bit better with her friends, there was still something completely amiss. She had her memory taken away of Natsu and there was no way of getting it back. Now she had a choice of either trying to move on with Natsu or move on without him.

"Lucy, we can make arrangements. You still have your old apartment in town." Erza offered.

"Yeah, Natsu will understand." Gray said.

Levy was sitting on the edge of Lucy's bed. She was studying her face. The way Lucy reacted when they told her she was living with Natsu, only supported her conclusion. Deep down, she had wanted Lucy to accept Natsu and have her try to work it out with him but she just knew that Lucy didn't want that. Lucy was the type of person that didn't want her life planned out for her, that's why she ran away from home. Now she's cornered again.

"Lu-chan, you still have time to think about it. Even if you want to move back into your old apartment, we have to give an evict notice to the tenant who's living there now. So it might take a week or two." Levy suggested this to buy Natsu some time to win her back.

Lucy nodded in agreement. She had just wished Natsu was here. It was like they were all representing him and what he would suggest or think. He was part of this too, she needed to hear his input.

"We're baaccckkk!" Happy shouted.

"Yeah." Natsu gave his boyish grin.

Everyone stopped and stared. Natsu didn't look like he was in the greatest shape but his grin was unmistakable. They were confused and yet happy that he showed up eventually. He sat by Lucy's bed and ignored her stare. He realized that her eyes never left his body and he wasn't sure if it was a good thing or not but it sure made him feel better.

"Lu-chan has to stay another night." Levy said.

"Yeah Natsu, you can't go dragging her home." Erza commented as she folded her arms.

"Want us to leave you two alone? Squinty eyes." Gray scoffed.

"What you say pervert?" Natsu got up from his chair to face Gray.

"We'll be leaving." Erza grabbed Gray by the ear and pushed Natsu back into his chair.

Levy and Happy followed after them.

"Um, Lucy… I'll just come back tomorrow and we'll figure things out then." He grinned again.

Every time he grinned, it made her feel particularly warm inside. Something sparked when he grinned like that. Maybe he had done it a million times before for her.

"No… wait… Natsu." She grabbed his arm before he could leave. "What do you want me to do? What do you expect me to do?" She asked, avoiding his gaze.

"I want you to be Lucy." He smiled as he gently placed his hand on her shoulder. "I expect you to be Lucy. Lucy makes her own decisions and I support them."

Lucy could only smile. Maybe this was why she had loved him before. He would never force her hand and will always stand by her side.

"I'll go now Lucy, I'll see you tomorrow." He then lowered his head and kissed her cheek. Surprise shook her.

Natsu backed off, after realizing his mistake. He was just so used to giving her small kisses before they left each other—it was his habit that he needed to break. The last thing he wanted to do was scare her.

"I'm sorry…" He shuffled awkwardly. "It's just that… I—uh."

Lucy rose her hand to stop him from talking. "No, no, I shouldn't have reacted that way. I'm sorry. I was just taken by surprise." She lowered her head.

He wanted to punch himself in the face. Now instead of making her feel scared, he made her feel guilty. Great, like that made it any better for his chances of making her fall in love with him.

"Good night Natsu." She smiled warmly.

"Night Lucy." He nodded and shut her door.

Lucy stared at the door for a minute, sort of hoping for Natsu to return but he didn't. Her fingers traced the spot where his lips touched her skin, it was like she could still feel the warmth of his breath. After all the awkwardness, Lucy felt somewhat better that the day ended off with seeing Natsu last. She didn't know what it was, but Natsu felt like home.

* * *

After the argument on where Lucy should be staying while her apartment was being ready, Lucy decided that she'd stay with Natsu. Erza and Levy lived in Fairy Hills, Lucy didn't want to be staying there because she felt that their rooms were a little too small to fit two people. Plus she didn't want to intrude on their personal space.

Natsu was now leading her home. This was the house they shared together. She couldn't fight the feeling but she really liked her home with him. It was made toward her liking. As Natsu showed her the master bedroom, Lucy felt a little nervous because the other rooms were still under construction so there really was no other place for Natsu to sleep other than with her.

"Yeah, this house is ours. We are… were... building two rooms on the upper level." He scratched the back of his head.

Lucy sat down on her bed and started to go through their album.

"Natsu, how long have we been together?" She asked.

"Almost ten years…" His eyes avoided her stare.

Her mouth stayed wide opened. _That bastard_ took ten years' worth of memories from her. For some reason she had thought they hadn't had known each other for that long but she was slapped with a decade long relationship.

"But when did we get married?"

"Almost three years ago."

"We don't have kids?"

"Well… we are… were… trying." He admitted. He didn't want to bring up the conversation about kids because it was already enough pressure for her as it is. Now was not the time to talk about children.

A silent 'O' formed her lips, she wanted to ask more questions but she held back. Ten years he had been with her and he probably knew her for more. All the guilt started to swell up in her stomach so she decided to lie down. Then she felt a weight shift next to her, she looked to her side to see Natsu laying there with his hands behind his head. He was also staring up at the ceiling, probably over-thinking like she was doing.

"I'll sleep on the couch don't worry." He said reassuringly. "If you don't mind me asking, how come you don't know this place? It should only be me that you can't remember."

"I don't know, maybe because this house has you written all over it." She teased.

He chuckled lightly. "Yeah well it's you and me that made this house." He turned his head to face her, it felt like forever since he could look into her eyes like this. It almost felt like before whenever he would wake up next to her. Sometimes he would wake up to see her already staring at him—in a non-creepy way. He had to fight the urge to pull her in and kiss her senseless. Nothing could deny that he missed his wife more than anything. She even looked at him with earnest eyes as if she was reflecting the same feelings as him. So he stopped his gaze by moving off of the bed. He could tell that she was a little disappointed as well.

"You should sleep soon. Wendy said that you wouldn't be able to go on mission for a week anyway." He closed the door but didn't move from his spot.

She silently crept up to the door too. This feeling felt so familiar to her but she couldn't remember it for the life of her. It was really starting to get her angry. But she stayed by the door, keeping her palm rested on it.

Natsu could sense her and she knew she was right behind the door. All he wanted was for her to remember everything they had done together even from before they were officially a couple. He just realized that ten years is a long time and to forget everything in one instant was a little too much for him so how much more for her. The Lucy that loved him as much as he loved her was missing. It tugged at his heart and he wanted the pain to just go away.

Even though the only object between him and her was just a simple wooden door, he felt as if his Lucy was a million light years away.

* * *

**A/N: Lol and I updated :P haha but at least I updated my other stories first but yeah I'm in the mood to write this one so here it is (: **


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Only Time Can Tell**

* * *

"Natsu are you sure about this?" Lucy asked hesitantly.

"Yeah don't worry. It'll be fine." He said in a soft tone.

As of right now, Lucy has found herself in quite a sticky situation. They were currently on a mission, supposedly an easy one. This happened to be their very first job together since Lucy's _incident_. It's not like she didn't trust her partner, it was just that she couldn't shake off the feeling that something bad was going to happen. Unfortunately this job required them to infiltrate a mobster's manor. While Erza ad Gray stayed as back up, it had left Lucy, Natsu, and Happy to stealthily sneak in and gather information about their gang.

Either way, Lucy knew something was going to go wrong and she could not have voiced her opinion anymore obvious.

"Natsu, I really think that we should stay at a distance. If we get to close, they may be able to spot us." She pleaded. "Plus you're loud." She added.

Natsu of course just gave her his signature grin as reassurance. He put his finger to her mouth as a way of well shutting her up.

She pouted profusely.

He hopped over the railing and slid down to the first level. He quickly maneuvered his way to the main hall. Lucy couldn't really see where he had gone and she was about to go after him until Happy held her back.

"Don't worry Lucy, leave that to Natsu. He has good ears remember."

"What do we do then?" She asked the exceed.

"Maybe we can find more information in the office."

Lucy smiled as she pet the cat. "You're so right."

Both of them sneaked through about ten rooms before finding the office. What Lucy found a little peculiar was the lack of guards. She swore with a gang so high profiled, there should have been more security. After looking through their files, they had come up empty. There were no hit lists or weapon deals or anything that could be illegal. This alleged gang seemed be to very thorough with keeping their stuff hidden.

"No good Happy. There's nothing here that backs up our client's claims of illegal trade or misconduct. You think Natsu found anything useful?"

The exceed shrugged in response. Lucy heard noises and shuffling coming from the hallway. She quickly grabbed the cat and hid behind the desk. Inwardly she cursed herself since this spot was way too obvious. But all she could do was wait and hide.

The door slowly creaked open. Footsteps walked to the front of the desk and circled around the rug. The person apparently didn't check behind the desk.

"Clear." He said.

"So what do we do about that pink haired guy. We found him on the first floor. Quite noisy." The other guard said.

"Dispose of him then if he's being a nuisance."

"But I think he's a mage." The other guard said hesitantly.

"So? He can't use magic within this manor. Capture him and kill him already before the boss comes back."

Lucy stayed still and quiet until those two left the room completely.

Once the coast was clear, Lucy dragged Happy out of the room and started to search for Natsu.

"Don't worry Lucy." Happy tried to keep her calm.

"I know he's more than capable but I just have this uneasy feeling." She admitted.

"You liiiiiikkkkeeeee him." He teased.

"Shut up Happy!" She blushed. She was still unsure of her own feelings despite his strong feelings for her. But why was she being bashful about it, he is her husband, no?

"Teehee. Just like old times." He smiled.

* * *

It didn't take long for Lucy and Happy to find Natsu. His voice echoed through the halls. Lucy smacked her head, anyone else but Natsu would have been better partner. She turned to Happy.

"Go get Erza and Gray. Warn them about the magic barrier." She pushed open a window near the staircase.

"What about you Lucy?" He asked.

"I'm gonna save Natsu." She winked. It was a like a new aura developed around her. Confidence defying her comeback.

If time wasn't an issue then Happy would have stayed to mock the blond mage as she claimed to be the savior. Of course, he'd save it for later to remind her of her many failed attempts to be the heroine. But then again her memories are a bit hazy. Maybe it is a good idea to mock her more often-_for her memory's sake_.

After the blue cat flew away, Lucy ran towards the ruckus below her. She hid behind a door leading to the garden where Natsu and a bunch of henchmen were standing. Her eyes peeked through the glass windows. Natsu had his hands tied around his back and he was forced into a kneeling position. The big oaf-like guy was holding a gun aimed at Natsu's head. Her stomach dropped as she watched the guy cocking his gun. But Natsu's face was calm and collected. She could have sworn, he had flashed her his signature grin.

"Idiot, he doesn't know he can't use magic yet." She mumbled to herself. Her mind was already planning on how to safely get Natsu out of that predicament. There were five guys surrounding plus the big oaf. He had the gun and she had to assume the worst meaning they all must have guns hidden somewhere on them too. She sighed. Whip in hand and no magic. This was going to be interesting, or so she thought. She just needed to buy enough time for the cavalry arrive.

"So you don't want to give up your accomplice? He or she must be around here somewhere." The big oaf asked.

"Tck, I told you I came alone." Natsu replied hastily.

"I doubt it. But I can only assume you are looking for this." He smiled wide. "I obviously keep it with me because no one can take it from me." He waved a small crystal like lacrima in front of Natsu.

Natsu only grinned back. His eyes quickly found Lucy's and cocked his head towards the big oaf. Even though this was her _first_ mission with him, somewhere deep down she already knew what he meant. It came almost naturally to her.

Before Lucy could comprehend her new found bond with him, she had already snatched the lacryma device from the big oaf. Natsu had already taken down three of the five men. In a blink of an eye, team Natsu had already subdued the mobsters. Lucy cheered as she held onto the lacryma. She was too busy cheering to notice one of the henchmen clenching his gun and pointed it directly at her.

"OY LUCY! WATCH OUT!" Natsu roared as he ran towards her.

Then she heard a gun shot.

* * *

Lucy's eyes widened in fear, she looked down to find blood splatter on her blouse. But when she ran her fingers down her body, she couldn't find the bullet hole. If this wasn't her blood then who's was it? She looked up immediately and saw Natsu's back. Everything in her mind played the scene in front of her in slow motion. The falling, the screaming, and of course the panic. All of it felt like it had gone for hours. The worst part of it all was that the bleeding didn't stop, the tears didn't stop, and the pain in her heart didn't stop.

In her frantic state, she managed to put pressure on his wound. She swore she heard him saying things but in her state right now, she wasn't able to comprehend it at all. The only thing she thought about was keeping him alive whether he was her husband or friend or partner, she couldn't let him die. Whenever she glanced at his face to check his breathing, he'd give her a smile and mouth some inaudible words but she could only stare blankly back at him. Why would he smile when he's in this situation? How can he smile? There was absolutely nothing to smile about and yet he gave her his toothy grin. A weak one at that, but still it was his grin.

She didn't know that she was still crying until he placed his weak hand on her cheek. Brushing off her tears. Once he touched her, she started to calm down. Finally she can hear what he was saying this whole time.

"Ah, Lucy..." He said weakly. "Don't worry, I'll be fine..." He coughed out some blood.

"Natsu..." She said shakily.

"I've survived... through much worse... pft it's only a bullet wound..." He smiled again.

Lucy held onto his hand which was still on her cheek. She pushed her cheek into his palm for comfort. His eyes started to slowly drift and his breaths became shallow.

"NATSU!" She yelled desperately.

"Lucy... don't worry I'm okay." He assured her. "I just wanna close my eyes for a bit..."

"No... no... no... please stay awake Natsu. They're gonna be here really soon. Gray will freeze up the wound and we'll fly you over to Wendy. Please stay awake."

"I'll try..."

Unfortunately his attempt failed as he couldn't keep himself awake. Her voiced couldn't reach him anymore. Lucy could only watch him close his eyes and drift away.

* * *

It was pitch black and Natsu could only feel cold. He was naturally a warm person so to feel this kind of feeling was new. He stayed huddled on what felt like a floor. All he saw was black and all he could feel was cold. Where was Lucy? Was he dead? What happened?

The last thing he remembered was looking at Lucy's sad eyes. She was crying. Oh right, he was shot. He immediately placed his hand over his heart where he was shot. To his surprise, there was a hole. Although it would make sense that there would be a hole but to actually feel it there was alarming. He sighed. How could he die from a gun shot wound? He was shocked with lightning, beaten down until he was ten feet below, and survived a dragon attack. Yet this little tiny bullet hit his heart and it was all over.

How sad.

A sigh escaped him. Was this all that there is in the after life? Maybe this was some sort of dream so he'll just have to force himself to wake up. But how? There were so many things crossing his mind now. Suddenly he was fully of questions. In his waking life, he barely asked questions on how things worked or what to do. If anyone knew him, he was a _do now, think later_ type of guy. Except think later would rather be false because he never really thought about anything later. Well until he was with Lucy. Until they were serious.

His mind started reeling back when they decided to start dating. In all honesty, he was a crappy boyfriend to begin with. There was no experience in the dating category. Yes he defeated many strong people, saved a world, helped a lot..._a lot of people._ But never once had he experienced a relationship quite like the one he agreed to with Lucy.

A memory flashed before him. It was the day that Lucy had broken up with him. Even though they had been together for so long, that didn't mean they didn't have a _few_ bumps on the road. He grinned foolishly. He was a stupid kid back then and Lucy was smart to break it off with him. But he sat and watched the memory that played in front of him as a good reminder.

_"Natsu, maybe we aren't working out as well as we thought we could be. I think we should just go back to being friends." Lucy was holding in tears as she hugged her knees. They were both in her apartment and a dumbfounded Natsu hadn't expected that from her. He was standing in front of her as she pushed her face against her knees._

_"You don't like me that way anymore Lucy?" He asked innocently. He really didn't understand why she wanted to end it._

_"NO! Its... it isn't because I don't like you that way..." She blushed. "I...we... you.. ugh... us..." She mumbled._

_"Huh?" He went on his knees to look at her face. She looked elsewhere to not get suckered in by his puppy eyes._

_"To be honest, nothing has really changed since we started dating... I don't feel like your girlfriend. I just feel like your nakama... and you kinda just treat me as that..." She admitted sheepishly. "So I think its better we stay as friends."_

_"But Lucy... I'm sorry." He sincerely meant it. "I don't know how to be a boyfriend. I treat you like my nakama because that's the only way I know how to care about the people I cherish most..." He scratched the back of his head. "Girlfriend and boyfriend... it confuses me..."_

_"No I'm sorry, I suggested we try it out remember? I guess it didn't really work out... huh..." A tear betrayed her. He wiped it for her._

_"Lucy... wait for me. I'll learn to be a better boyfriend. I can get better. Just give me time." He gave his toothy grin. He got up from the ground and headed towards her door._

_"EH?! Are you training to be a **boyfriend**?" Her face was flushed as he just nodded his head. "Why?" She spat out. It sounded harsh when she didn't mean it to be. "I mean... I thought this kinda thing would be natural..."_

_"For you Lucy... I wanna be better fit for you. Since you're the most important person to me, I don't want you doubting that..." He mumbled the last couple of words so she wouldn't hear. It had left him with a slight tinge of pink on his cheeks as he closed the door of her apartment._

* * *

Natsu slapped his forehead after watching that memory. He buried his face into his hands in embarrassment. Even though no one else was around to witness that scene, it was still overwhelmingly embarrassing.

"Stupid younger self... stupid virgin younger self... " He mumbled to himself. "Was I always this childish and foolish?" He sighed for his future generation, if he still had a chance for one.

What was more embarrassing was remembering that he had _training _on being a good boyfriend, and it was not just a one on one training session. It had been a group class with Mirajane teaching not only him but many other boys, only now he allowed himself to punch himself as hard as he could. Maybe this way he could just forget the whole ordeal of his awkward late adolescence stage.

Suddenly he could hear her voice. His eyes scanned the area if there was another memory screen again but there was none. He even used his nose to sniff if she would be there with him, obviously she wasn't. But a small orb a little ways off, was shining. That was the source of her voice. Automatically his body flung forwards to catch it and it had dodge him and started dashing towards something else. Natsu started running towards it and it had gotten brighter and brighter until all he could see was white.

"Natsu!"

* * *

Lucy was startled by Natsu's abrupt awoken state. His eyes were wide-shot open and was staring right at her. She had honestly been too scared to scream and all she could do was stare back wide-eyed.

"OY FLAME BRAIN! You're scaring her." The man hit his head.

That finally snapped Natsu out of his gaze.

"What happened?" He rubbed the place where Gray had hit him.

"You were out cold for half a day. Idiot. You scared Lucy." He deadpanned. "She kept saying you were dying. Clearly you don't die easy so a gun shot wound is mehhh."

Lucy dropped her head in embarrassment. She had been hysterically yelling at them about saving Natsu. They weren't fazed at all as they calmly took him straight to Wendy.

"I'm sorry Lucy..." Natsu stared at her and lifted her chin. "I didn't mean to scare you."

She nodded as a couple of tears streamed down her face. Then Natsu turned to Gray. He suddenly kicked him in the head. "OY ICE FREAK! YOU'RE AN IDIOT!" Although it had been a late response, it as better than none at all.

A sharp pain hit his chest as Gray was about to retaliate.

Lucy caught him before he dropped to the ground. "Natsu, rest before fighting with Gray." She said warmly before Gray helped her put his body back on the bed.

"Uh I'll go tell Erza you're awake." Gray left them alone.

"You need rest." She rested her hand on his.

"Lucy, I don't want you to be forced in this relationship. If you aren't ready then I'm willing to back off, give you space."

"Eh?" She was confused. What did he mean? "What are you trying to say?"

"We can take a break..." He said innocently.

"Huh?! What? Why? I mean Natsu I almost lost you today, why are we talking about giving us a break?"

"Because when I wasn't ready, you gave me time. I can tell you're not ready for this type of relationship yet. I want us to get there together... I uhh.." He wasn't sure if this was making sense to her.

"Thanks Natsu, for being understanding. But I don't want a break." She smiled. "I'll prove to you that my feelings aren't out of obligation but out of love. I mean ... you know...not like love love... I mean yeah love but..." She said shyly. "I'll get there... eventually just wait."

He smiled so wide that half his face had been squished back. She gently patted his arm as he slowly went back to sleep.

* * *

**A/N: Wow... it took long for an update but yeah writers block =.=" like for all my stories LOL and to make matters worse i broke my netbook which had all me stories on ... " im using my moms laptop now and it doesn't even have word ): ): ANYWAY enough about me but more for this chp... hope you enjoy it R&R's much appreciated.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: A Heated Night**

* * *

After another mission accomplished, Natsu and Lucy decided to rest for a night instead of traveling back home through the night. They only got half the reward money because Natsu burnt down a local monument in order to catch the thief. Of course Lucy scolded him for being careless but Natsu had already been immune to her lectures since he had been with her for so long. Natsu left Lucy to deal with the hotel accommodations because she kept saying that she was better talking to people than he was. It was true of course but he didn't like the way that the man at the reception was eyeing her. She was still his wife; legally that is, he still had his limits.

What was a little disturbing was how long she was talking to him. Was it not easy to just book a room? Why did she have to keep chatting away all flirty like a single woman? Fumes started to spew out his ears as he made his way back to the receptionist.

"What's taking so long Lucy?" He tried his best not to burn down the hotel.

"Oh, he's saying that there are no more two bed rooms available." She cocked her head to the side. She noticed that he was uneasy.

"It's okay. I'll sleep on the couch." He dropped the money on the desk and snatched the key. His feet left scorched marks as he headed to their room.

Lucy politely apologized and followed after him.

"What was that all about Natsu? Are you mad?" She tugged on his arm.

Suddenly his arm felt at ease and the tension from his shoulders rested downwards. He turned around and faced her. His right hand tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear as he smiled back at her. The blush from her cheeks was reddening fast so he dropped his hand and headed back to the direction of their room. Lucy followed the sound of the creaked floors as he stepped onward. She kept her head down to hide her embarrassment. It was foolish that someone her age would be acting like a teenager when it came to these sorts of things. She was sure she had slept with him numerous times before her memory was wiped out. But his touch gave her butterflies, his voice soothed her edginess, and his eyes looked only at her. She never felt this level of security in her life, even when she had all the riches in the world.

Natsu had already entered the room and Lucy stood outside the door, unsure of whether or not she should go in. She should go in because where else would she sleep? But the fact that he was in there gave her a shrill of excitement yet a strange-awkward feeling. Her fingers gingerly swept the frame of the door as she continued to think about what may or may not happen if she enters the room. She bit her lip nervously as she put her hand on the knob and as she was about to turn it, the door swung open.

"Aren't you coming in Lucy? Why are you waiting outside?"

Truth be told, Natsu was a little thankful that Lucy had taken her time. He could feel her uneasiness which made him feel awkward. During the time she took outside of the room, he used his by calming himself down. He noticed the way she looked at him; it was the same look that started their relationship. When he was younger, he was oblivious to it, but as he grew to care about her more, the bond that they shared was a lot more intimate than with any other friend. It took all of his willpower not to ravage her when she made it so obvious that she's starting to accept him. The sexual tension was building up and he didn't know if he could control himself any longer.

His eyes gazed back at her and she was already unpacking some of her clothes. It had been weeks now and there has been no sign of her memory coming back but Natsu still hoped that one day, she'll remember. Not because he wanted to get laid, but he wanted her to know their history together.

"I'm going to shower first." He told her.

She just nodded in response.

As she watched him go into the bathroom, Lucy lay on the bed. Her mind kept thinking about Natsu. In almost everything they do together, he'd be there protecting her. He was really proving himself to be committed and loyal. She noticed every time he was upset he'd be—jealous or concerned—if she was alone. Everything he did was for her. Was that not enough?

She didn't realize how long she was thinking until she felt the weight of the bed shift. She turned to her side and saw a smiling pink haired man.

"It's your turn now." He rolled over and started to prepare his couch.

"Um Natsu, we'll just share the same bed. You're going to be uncomfortable. You don't even like sleeping on our couch at home. So stay on the bed." She smiled shyly and quickly walked into the bathroom.

Natsu was left dumbfounded by her request. He had just taken a cold shower to calm himself but now she wants him to stay in the same bed as her. His hands were tugging at his hair. The only way he could get through this is if he knocks himself out, and he was so close to punching himself out but couldn't bring himself to do it. Instead he just focused on falling asleep before she even reached the bed.

By the time Lucy was done her shower, she already heard his snores. She silently thanked him for sleeping early to avoid awkwardness. Once she dried her hair, she slipped into the bed. The bed was quite warm and comfortable and that was probably because of the body that lay next to her. She turned in her bed to face him and she smiled to herself.

"Goodnight Natsu." She whispered before letting her eyelids fall asleep.

If the night was uncomfortable then waking up was the epitome of awkwardness. Lucy found herself wrapped in his arms and her head on his chest. She didn't know when or how it had happened but now she was stuck. His grip was strong, obviously, and he was still asleep. Unfortunately for her, she could not help but appreciate his physical features. His chest was firm and his chin was well-defined. The only problem was that he was hot, literally burning; it felt like she put her face in a hot oven. Beads of sweat started to drip down her face as she tried to push herself away. As of that moment, she did not care if she wakes him up because she was literally dying of dehydration. With her small hands, she managed to pull her sweaty self away from his heated body.

Finally she managed to peel herself off of him, only to drop herself off the edge of the bed. A loud thump followed her fall and she lay there frozen hoping to King Moustache that Natsu did not wake up. Fortunately for her she only heard his soft snores and quiet breathing. She quickly dusted herself off and slowly made her way to the washroom. On her way, she couldn't help but stare at him. His arms were stretched out to her previous spot and a slight scowl framed his lower face. She didn't know why she was so fascinated with how he looks when he's sleeping but all she wanted to do was go back into his arms.

A smile slowly formed her lips. She finally made her way to the washroom and closed the door softly.

* * *

**A/N: Ahhhhh ): I am so very behind and slow. But I just finished my exams woot! That means I'll have a week and a half and then I'm back to school LOL ugh summer semester oh well... Anyway I had to re-read the story to see where I'm at and hopefully you all enjoy it. It's sorta short and only a little progress. But yeaahhhhh enjoy!**


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